German Carrier Lufthansa Cancels Hundreds of Flights Over Staff Shortage

Lufthansa has cancelled flights over staff shortage. Photo used for representation

(Photo: Lufthansa)

Deutsche Lufthansa AG said on Thursday, 9 June, that it was cancelling hundreds of summer flights due to staff shortages as the German national carrier attempts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

Lufthansa has scrapped about 900 domestic and European short haul trips for July.

In an emailed statement, Lufthansa said, “The entire aviation industry, especially in Europe, is currently suffering from bottlenecks and staff shortages.”

It added, “This applies to airports, ground handling services, air traffic control, and also airlines.”

900 Flights for July Cancelled

Germany’s flagship airline scrapped about 900 domestic and European short haul trips for July at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, according to Bloomberg.

The cancelled flights represent about 5 percent of the airline’s typical weekend capacity. Its budget carrier Eurowings has also axed "several hundred flights" for July.

The company said that passengers who had already booked flights would be informed and ther flights would be rescheduled, reported AFP.

Lufthansa has also alerted its customers of possible delays and has asked them to use digital services as much as possible and reduce carry-on luggage.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr said last month that he was “mentally ticking off the crisis” as the aviation industry bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, labour market aftershocks are shaking his airline’s summer plans, as per Bloomberg.

(With inputs from Bloomberg and AFP.)